Amid the federal government shutdown, Macon-Bibb County Mayor Lester Miller urged political leaders in Washington, D.C., to check their egos Wednesday and do what’s right for the American people as he announced $150,000 in aid to offset the loss of SNAP funds.
Miller’s early morning news conference at the Middle Georgia Community Food Bank followed commissioners voting Tuesday night to allocate interest earned on the County’s State and Local Fiscal Recovery Fund to 11 community food distribution organizations.
The charities were chosen based on their performance with previous grants.
“People that were in good standing with Macon-Bibb County in turning their receipts in and doing what they’re supposed to be doing and also have relationships to be able to get food out quickly,” Miller explained to commissioners. “We will be keeping very good receipts. Each of these folks have already shown that they are good stewards of the taxpayer dollars.”
Mayor Pro Tempore Seth Clark not only blamed the shutdown stalemate for empty pantries, but President Trump’s refusal to release contingency funds to maintain benefits for those who receive them.
The Georgia Budget Policy Institute estimates about 23% of Bibb County residents — between 36,000 and 40,000 people — receive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits, Clark said.
After speaking with Middle Georgia Community Food Bank President Kathy McCollum, District 3 County Commissioner Stanley Stewart urged everyone to donate money, not food.
“If she can get the money in, she can kind of dictate as to what needs to be bought, what types of food they’re short on, plus they buy in bulk,” Stewart said.
The county also stepped up to cover $50,000 in operating expenses for about three months for HomeFirst Housing Resource Services that provides home ownership counseling and homebuyer education services in Macon-Bibb County.
Executive Director Reginald Bell said the organization that was founded 24 years ago to combat predatory lending practices is down to its last 30 days of funding in its reserves.
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development has not provided its share of funding in nearly a year, Bell said.
“Based on what’s happening in Washington, we don’t anticipate that funding coming in any time soon, so at this point we are in need of assistance so we can continue to serve the community,” Bell said.
The county allocated interest earned on American Rescue Plan Act funds to bridge the gap in HUD funding.
In the early days of the shutdown, Macon-Bibb County agreed to fund an average of $400,000 in monthly supplements to keep Contour planes flying without federal subsidies.
The county planned to fund the first 30 days of flights, but as of Wednesday’s Day 36 of the shutdown, “no decision has been made at this time” whether to continue, Miller told The Macon Newsroom.
Alcohol licenses, tax refund denied
Commissioners also had several alcohol license requests on the agenda and denied three of them. They turned down the owners of Sonni Gas Venture at 4331 Pio Nono Ave. and Jek Food Mart at 3565 Pio Nono Ave. for owing back taxes.
After 30 minutes in executive session, attorneys also recommended denial for the owner of 478 Lounge at 1701 Shurling Circle based on her history of owning Rodeo 24K Bar & Grill.
Back in open session, commissioners added an item to the agenda concerning Joseph and Susan Brantley’s request for a refund in property taxes, which commissioners denied without explanation.
According to qPublic.net, the value of the Brantleys’ 1.06 acre at 7163 S. Nowell Road jumped from $9,209 in 2024 to $173,813 in 2025 without any documented improvements such as a house being added to the property.
Chief appraiser Andrea Crutchfield told The Macon Newsroom that the property dramatically increased nearly 18 times last year’s value because of a zoning classification. It had been considered residential acreage before the Quik Trip on Sardis Church Road was built nearby, but is now being marketed as commercial property, which has a different assessment formula.
The Brantleys missed the deadline to appeal their assessment, so sought relief from county commissioners, which property owners can do if they think an error has been committed.
Tuesday’s agenda also included a $97,000 grant for mental health and wellness services of employee of the Bibb County Sheriff”s Office, nearly $123,000 in 2025 SPLOST funds to contract with Midland Radio Corp. for emergency weather radios to be distributed through the Macon-Bibb Emergency Management Agency, accepting $39,600 in grant funds for A.G. Witt to update the Local Hazard Mitigation Plan, spending nearly $235,000 from the I.T. budget for new computers and upgraded network equipment, and accepting a $14,280 ReLeaf grant from the Georgia Tree Council to plant trees at Delores A. Brooks Recreation Center.
Commissioners also gave $40,000 in interest from 2018 SPLOST funds to NewTown Macon to complete the Ocmulgee Heritage Trail Connector and directed $55,000 in school speed camera ticket revenue to hire BTBB Architects to renovate Code Enforcement offices in the old internal affairs section of the Macon Police Department at the back of City Hall.
The following summation presents agenda highlights captured in social media posts during the meetings.
— Civic Journalism Senior Fellow Liz Fabian covers Macon-Bibb County government entities for The Macon Newsroom and can be reached at [email protected] or 478-301-2976.
